10 Lies About Doctor Who You Probably Believe

10. Bernard Cribbins Was Always Donna’s Grandfather

The late great Bernard Cribbins made his NuWho debut in the 2007 Christmas special Voyage of the Damned, as Donna Noble’s grandfather, Wilfred Mott. Except, it’s not quite that simple.

As written and filmed, Cribbins played an entirely different character, with an entirely different name: Stan. It was only later that he became Wilf.

The original plan for Series 4 was for Howard Attfield to return as Donna’s father, Geoff (a role he originated in The Runaway Bride). However, when Attfield’s health deteriorated, it became clear that a contingency plan was needed.

Rather than recast Geoff, showrunner Russell T Davies opted to rewrite the part as Donna’s grandfather, and brought back Cribbins to play the role.

But why the name change? Well, RTD thought that Wilf was a better name for a recurring character than Stan! And with Voyage of the Damned still a couple of months away from broadcast, this was easy enough to change – hence why, in the finished episode, Cribbins is indeed credited as Wilfred Mott.

Those wanting to find out more about how Stan became Wilf should check out RTD’s acclaimed book The Writer’s Tale, which tells the story in real time. It’s a fascinating read.